False Enlightenment as Fraudulent Theft

Buddhism also recognizes certain acts as theft, such as impersonating individuals of genuine cultivation and realization, which constitutes the offense of stealing fame and reputation. Without the consent of virtuous individuals, appropriating their teachings and presenting them as one's own Dharma to disseminate to the public, seeking worldly fame and gain, is an act of theft. These actions involve usurping the reputation of great virtuous ones and infringing upon their honor. More severe still is impersonating the reincarnation of venerable figures like the Great Virtuous Ananda, impersonating the reincarnation of Great Virtuous Arhats, impersonating the reincarnation of Great Virtuous Bodhisattvas, and even daring to impersonate the Buddha’s return. All such acts are considered grand theft. Within Buddhism, all false and counterfeit phenomena fall under the category of theft.

Modern people, unwilling to exert diligent effort yet eager to gain fame and profit, widely proclaim themselves to be the reincarnation of certain figures; this is an even greater theft. Whose Dharma did they steal? They stole all the Dharma belonging to the sage they impersonated. Everything they gain rightfully belongs to that impersonated individual. The karmic consequence is that in the future, they must repay what they gained countless times over and also suffer the retribution of falling into the three lower realms. When the causes and conditions ripen in this present life, they will first receive the preliminary karmic retribution (花报, huā bào), followed by the full karmic retribution (果报, guǒ bào) in future lives.

If a person claims, "I am the reincarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva," when they are not, this person has stolen the revered name, sacred name, and honor of Maitreya Bodhisattva. Everything they gain through this belongs to Maitreya Bodhisattva; they have stolen the Dharma that Maitreya Bodhisattva possesses. The gap between ordinary beings and sages in terms of mental conduct and other aspects is vast. The sin created by an ordinary being impersonating a sage is immense; even a small amount of sin results in immeasurable retribution. Due to the creation of such sin, it becomes a major obstacle to cultivation, creating numerous adverse conditions.

The most obvious, most vicious, and most harmful acts of theft involve issuing false certificates, counterfeit realization documents, and fake enlightenment certifications. This is the most severe form of fraudulent theft. Ignorant people pay money for realization certifications, but without genuine realization, they are given fake certificates. Those who validate and guide others towards realization lack cultivation and realization themselves; devoid of virtue and capability, they employ deceitful means to issue false validations and certificates. These are all acts of grand theft. Furthermore, using the guidance towards realizing the mind and enlightenment as a means to conduct false enlightenment validations, charging large sums of money, while failing to provide genuine realization of the mind or enlightenment—where those who pay only receive false reputations without actual cultivation or realization, and without genuine wisdom arising—constitutes fraudulent theft.

A theft of an extremely vicious nature is when a layperson assumes the role of the Three Jewels of Buddhism, replacing the genuine Three Jewels and expelling monastics from the ranks of the Three Jewels. This is robbery-like theft, utterly severe in nature and consequence. Faking enlightenment, manufacturing false Bodhisattvas, laypeople reading monastic precepts, and presumptuously instructing monastics and the Three Jewels without restraint—this is the greatest and most severe robbery-like theft in the world, exceptionally vicious in nature with extremely severe karmic retribution. Creating false reputations indiscriminately, promoting numerous false sages, exaggerating one's level of realization like inflating production figures during the Great Leap Forward era—all these are extremely severe and vicious acts of theft in the world. Phenomena like these are rotten to the core, evil to the core, wicked to the core; nothing is worse or more evil than this, far exceeding acts like murder and arson. This is equivalent to shedding the Buddha's blood, destroying the Three Jewels, causing people in the world to lose their pure vision and their refuge—an act of immense evil.

Mara (Papiyas, or the Devil King) also frequently impersonates sages and virtuous ones, coming into this world to destroy the Dharma, mislead sentient beings, and trap them in the desire realm, causing them to engage in boundless greed and attachment, unable to extricate themselves. He is clever, meticulous in thought, and employs various tactics, striving by every means to keep all ordinary beings under his control, preventing them from escaping the desire realm. Ordinary beings cannot recognize him, much less defeat him; even Bodhisattvas at the stage of realization after enlightenment cannot defeat him. Only Bodhisattvas on the Bhumi stages (ground-level Bodhisattvas) can refute him from the perspective of both worldly and transcendental Dharma, exposing his disguise. Therefore, ordinary beings are extremely susceptible to deception. However, cleverness is not equivalent to wisdom. Mara lacks wisdom. Those with wisdom do not create great evil karma and would not fall deeply into samsara for trivial gains.